The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed animals in a
white-tail deer herd and 2 elk hunt operations in Saskatchewan have
tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).

As a result, the CFIA has quarantined a white-tail deer herd and an
elk hunt operation in the Prince Albert area along with an elk hunt
farm in the Moose Jaw area, an agency spokeswoman said.

The most recent case was confirmed Tuesday [22 Oct 2007] in a farmed
elk herd in the Prince Albert area. However, the agency spokeswoman
said the quarantine would likely have been imposed while awaiting the
test results. Saskatchewan's 1st suspected case of CWD this year
[2007] was diagnosed earlier in the month [October 2007].

Chronic wasting disease is a progressive, fatal disease of the
nervous system of cervids such as mule deer, white-tailed deer and
elk. Black-tail deer and moose have also become infected naturally,
according to the CFIA website
(.)
The CFIA is also tracing the movement of animals on and off the
premises, the agency spokeswoman said, noting at this time no herds
have been culled.

The findings of CWD is not unexpected, she said. There have been
periodic findings of the disease in the deer and elk population in
the province over the last 10 years.

--
Communicated by:
Terry S. Singeltary Sr.

[For a general map of the region please see the HealthMap/ProMED-mail
interactive map at

The opening paragraph indicates a deer herd but the rest of the
article does not mention it. It is likely a farmed herd as
quarantining a wild herd would have a number of difficulties
associated with it. The article does not indicate if the deer herd is
in the same vicinity as the elk herd. It is implied but not stated
that it is. The website does not list either of these 2 herds. - Mod.TG]

Deer hunters are no longer allowed to use bottled deer urine to
attract the animals during hunting season in Nova Scotia.

The 5-week deer hunting season opens today [Fri 26 Oct 2007] with
more than 70 000 hunters eligible to take part.

A new regulation this year [2007] states that while in a wildlife
habitat, no person may possess or use a product that contains any
body part or fluid of a member of the deer family, says a Natural
Resources Department news release.

The rule is designed to prevent the introduction of the deadly
chronic wasting disease found in some deer populations in Western
Canada and the United States, the release said.

Many hunters have long relied on rags or undergrowth saturated with
bottled deer urine and placed strategically throughout deer habitat
as an attractant.

This year [2007], hunters must rely on their own cunning and perhaps
a few well-placed apples and carrots.

The season runs until 1 Dec 2007, excluding Sundays, and hunters may
bag one deer.

With the exception of 5750 people who, during a phone-in lottery,
successfully won the option of hunting an antlerless deer, only fully
antlered deer may be harvested.

Many hunters also donated some or all of their kill to Nova Scotia's
food banks last year [2006] through the Hunters Help the Hungry program.

Again this season, hunters may bring their deer to one of 17
participating meat-cutters throughout the province to donate, the release said.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail

[Indeed there is limited evidence that suggests that bottled deer
urine may be a method of spreading CWD. The urine is bottled from
different sources and can come from regions that have CWD.

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Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Conference Agenda

Day One - 27 June 2006 | Day Two - 28 June 2006

15.00 TSE-safety of human urine-derived pharmaceuticals
Human-derived pharmaceuticals originating from urine are now receiving a similar amount of regulatory attention as blood products. The need and the measures taken by Ferring Pharmaceuticals and other companies to ensure the safety of products such as urinary-derived gonadotrophins and urokinase will be described.
Dr Peter A McAnulty, Senior Director, Non-Clinical Development, Ferring Pharmaceuticals A/S, Denmark

All of us, at one time or another have gone on a hunting trip and had what we call “Blue Bird” weather. Warm evenings and almost hot days. We hunt in our t-shirts and enjoy the sunshine. We are way up in the mountains and have a whole week to hunt. How could it get any better?
That is, until we score on that big buck or bull. We work to get it out of the field and skinned as quickly as possible to cool it down. But try as we might, we just can’t get...